Sunday, April 6, 2008

Southern California Ballpark Reviews and other baseball notes

By Michael Haas

A few of us boys went to Los Angeles last week for vacation, and check out some stadiums while we were in the area. Here are some thoughts:

Dodger Stadium:

Chavez Ravine and Dodger Stadium fits right in with the rest of Los Angeles: about 45 years old and built under the impression that everyone has a car. I feel like everything in L.A. was built in the 60's. But the stadiums architecture holds up pretty well, and it looks like they haven't had to make any changes at all since it was built in 1962. It's nestled in some beautiful green hills, or a ravine, so it doesn't feel too overpopulated and crazy like the rest of L.A.. We liked the stadium, and the game was entertaining, but the Dodger Dogs were not as good as advertised.

Petco Park:

This is the fourth season the Padres have played in Petco, and that ballpark is an absolute treat of a game experience. It's original, spacious but intimate, and fun. Kids must love it out in centerfield, at their sandbox and the "park at the park." They don't use ticketmaster, have public transportation to the game, and let you walk around anywhere in the stadium. I love the Padres. I can't understand why they are considered to be a good ballclub though.



Angels Stadium:

This place is exactly what you'd think of when you hear, "a 60's park with a multimillion dollar 90's renovation." It was baseball outdoors, but it was nothing special. The fans never cheered when there were two strikes with two outs, and didn't appreciate Torii Hunter. I hate the Angels.

Other thoughts:

- I'm starting to dig AH! contributor Soups prediction about the Reds winning the NL East. If I were a Cinci fanatic, I would be very enthused about Edi(n)son Volquez and Johnny Cueto. There's just something exciting about good young pitching.

- Matt Tolbert? Yes? No? Maybe so?

- The Tigers are winless. I think that's funny.


7 comments:

Daymonster said...

Looks like a fun trip. Did you get any response from Hunter? Say anything clever?

soup said...

good looking trip, boys.

I hate angels fans. damn thunder sticks and rally monkeys.

I hope Tolbert really is a decent baseball player. I remember guys like glen williams, terry tiffy, and even lew ford who came on strong but then fizzled back to reality.

Thanks for considering my Reds pick, Haas. Now I'll have company looking like an idiot in two months.

bizmarkie507 said...

Some people expect Tolbert to be nothing more than a Lew Ford. I actually like him, and I liked him alot last season when he was at Rochester. I'm not sure why so few people talked about him or Jose Morales last season, but talked about Span all the time.

Trip looked fun, and I still hate the Angels. I said back in 2002 that I will never route for the Angels after what they did to my Twins, and I haven't forgot it.


I hate The Angels, thanks for ripping their fan base.

TwinsWin83 said...

Yup. Hate the Angels too. And ThunderSticks. Artificial noise by fans at baseball games is lame. Unless its an airhorn. I let one of those things off in the hallways in high school once and my hearing has never been the same.

I think as long as Tolbert can supply more offense than Everett (which isnt asking much) he should be in the lineup. People will say "well Everett is in there for his defense," but I have not been impressed in the least by his glove yet this season. He is yet to make the spectacular play, has had some bad errors, throws and keeps you on the edge of your seat on even the most routine of plays.

haasertime said...

we just yelled his name and pointed to our caps. Nothing witty or clever came to mind that didn't make us look like douches/rubes in front of a lot of other people.

So Tolbert = yes. glad we cleared that up.

Holmer said...

It looks like a good trip because it was. If any of you have intrest in the major league baseball stadiums spread out across the country, I recommend seeing Petco Park. It has everything I hope the Twins Stadium will bring to our team's community. I still think we will regret having the open roof though.

I was sad to see that Luke became a Dodgers fan during our trip. But he like the Yankees too.

tfrezac2002 said...

I was just reading Buster Olney's notes on the ESPN.com, and he was complaining about Dodger Stadium closing the lower levels too. Apperently this is the first year that you haven't been able to get down to feild level before games. Most people feel the same way we did about the new rule:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers8apr08,1,909471.column